The ruling on the one who abandons prayer and what follows from it
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Honorable Shaykh! There is a man who does not pray, uses narcotics, has no job, and is married.And his wife says: May Allah guide him as He guided others. What is the obligation of his father and his wife toward him?
The one who does not pray, whether he uses narcotics or not.
He is a disbeliever, like the Jews and Christians, or even worse; because the Jews and Christians can be allowed to remain on their religion by paying the jizyah, for example. But the one who does not pray and was a Muslim, he is an apostate. It is not permissible to allow him to remain, nor is it permissible for him to continue living. Rather, he must be ordered to pray. If he prays, that is well; otherwise, he must be killed as an apostate. These are the rulings of the apostate as mentioned by the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) in their books. It is obligatory for his wife to separate from him now. It is not permissible for him to have intercourse with her, nor is it permissible for her to allow him to have intercourse, nor even to kiss her, nor even to be alone with her. She must separate from him now unless he returns to Islam. Let her know that if she allows him access to herself, it is as if she allowed a foreign man access to her. We ask Allah for safety. It is obligatory for her to flee from him as one flees from a lion.And her saying: May Allah guide him as He guided others. This is not impossible. But a person has only what is present now, and the future is known to Allah, and we do not know it.Then if she says: If Allah guides him, let it be now. If Allah guides him and he returns to Islam, she is his wife. But if he persists in abandoning prayer, she is not his wife. The marriage contract is annulled, and he is given a respite until the waiting period expires. If he returns to Islam before the waiting period expires, she is his wife. If he does not return, it becomes clear that the marriage was annulled from the time this man apostatized.
And some scholars say: If she remains without a husband and he returns to Islam, even after the waiting period has expired, and she desires that he return to her, there is no harm. This is regarding his wife.
As for his state, if he dies in this condition, it is forbidden to wash him, shroud him, pray over him, bury him with the Muslims, or supplicate for him with mercy and forgiveness, or give charity on his behalf, or perform Hajj on his behalf; because he is a disbeliever.And Allah the Exalted said: [At-Tawbah: 113] And by this we mean the one who does not pray, neither in the mosque nor in his home. As for the one who prays in his home, he is a sinful transgressor. And if he persists in that, he is among the open sinners, but he does not become a disbeliever. Rather, we mean the one who does not pray at all. This is his ruling, as I mentioned.
And my advice to his wife is: That she should fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and flee from him to her family until Allah the Exalted guides him to Islam. And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) did not force him to abandon prayer; the choice is his. Just as he has the choice to go to the market or to the mosque or to any place, he also has the choice to pray or not to pray.
The one who does not pray, whether he uses narcotics or not.
He is a disbeliever, like the Jews and Christians, or even worse; because the Jews and Christians can be allowed to remain on their religion by paying the jizyah, for example. But the one who does not pray and was a Muslim, he is an apostate. It is not permissible to allow him to remain, nor is it permissible for him to continue living. Rather, he must be ordered to pray. If he prays, that is well; otherwise, he must be killed as an apostate. These are the rulings of the apostate as mentioned by the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) in their books. It is obligatory for his wife to separate from him now. It is not permissible for him to have intercourse with her, nor is it permissible for her to allow him to have intercourse, nor even to kiss her, nor even to be alone with her. She must separate from him now unless he returns to Islam. Let her know that if she allows him access to herself, it is as if she allowed a foreign man access to her. We ask Allah for safety. It is obligatory for her to flee from him as one flees from a lion.And her saying: May Allah guide him as He guided others. This is not impossible. But a person has only what is present now, and the future is known to Allah, and we do not know it.Then if she says: If Allah guides him, let it be now. If Allah guides him and he returns to Islam, she is his wife. But if he persists in abandoning prayer, she is not his wife. The marriage contract is annulled, and he is given a respite until the waiting period expires. If he returns to Islam before the waiting period expires, she is his wife. If he does not return, it becomes clear that the marriage was annulled from the time this man apostatized.
And some scholars say: If she remains without a husband and he returns to Islam, even after the waiting period has expired, and she desires that he return to her, there is no harm. This is regarding his wife.
As for his state, if he dies in this condition, it is forbidden to wash him, shroud him, pray over him, bury him with the Muslims, or supplicate for him with mercy and forgiveness, or give charity on his behalf, or perform Hajj on his behalf; because he is a disbeliever.And Allah the Exalted said:
It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they were relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of Hellfire.
مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُوا لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُوا أُولِي قُرْبَى مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْجَحِيمِAnd my advice to his wife is: That she should fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and flee from him to her family until Allah the Exalted guides him to Islam. And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) did not force him to abandon prayer; the choice is his. Just as he has the choice to go to the market or to the mosque or to any place, he also has the choice to pray or not to pray.